The Jesuit New World Order

Monday, 25 June 2012

THE PROTESTANT REFORMATIONWYCLIFFE – THE MORNING STAR OF THE REFORMATION

In the 14th Century, Oxford was the most outstanding university in the world, and John Wycliffe was its leading theologian and philosopher. The Black Death ( Bubonic Plague), which killed a third of the
population of Europe, lead Wycliffe to search the Scriptures and find
salvation in Christ. THE KING’S CHAMPION As a professor at Oxford University, Wycliffe represented England
in a controversy with the Pope. Wycliffe championed the independence of
England from Papal control. He supported King Edward III’s refusal to
pay taxes to the Pope. (It was only one step away from denying the
political supremacy of the Pope over nations to questioning his
spiritual supremacy over churches). The royal favour which Wycliffe
earned from this confrontation protected him later in life. Wycliffe’s patron and protector was John of Gaunt. This English
prince was the most powerful political figure in the late 14th Century,
England. Gaunt, known in his day as the Duke of Lancaster, was
effectively the Prime Minister of England during the last years of the
50-year reign of his then senile father, King Edward III. Gaunt was “a
wise diplomat, a bold soldier, the epitome of chivalry, hard on his
enemies and always faithful to what he believed was best for England.” In 1399 Gaunt’s son ascended the throne as King Henry IV. ALL AUTHORITY IS UNDER GOD In Wycliffe’s book Civil Dominion, he maintains that the ungodly have no right to
rule. All authority is granted by God. But God does not grant any
authority to those who are in rebellion against Him. Those who rule
unjustly are in breach of the terms under which God delegates authority.
So wicked rulers have forfeited their right to rule. In fact, all of
those who lead blatantly sinful lives forfeit their rights in this
world. CORRUPTION DISQUALIFIES LEADERS Wycliffe also taught that the clergy of his time were so corrupt
that the secular authorities had the right to confiscate their
properties. The Roman church at that time owned about one third of all
land in England, claimed exemption from taxation, yet the Pope claimed
the right to tax the English – to finance his own wars! Wycliffe maintained that the English government had the God-given
responsibility to correct the abuses of the church within its realm and
to remove from office those churchmen who persisted in their corruption
and immorality. SERVANT LEADERSHIP AND SACRIFICE Wycliffe taught that our personal relationship with God is
everything. Character is the fundamental basis of any leadership. He
emphasised apostolic poverty, insisting that those who claimed to sit on
Saint Peter’s chair should, like the Apostle, be without silver or
gold. To Wycliffe, those who claimed to follow the Apostles, should live
poor and humble lives spent in the service of the Church, setting an
example of holiness. Therefore the Pope of Rome should be a shepherd of
the flock and a preacher who brings men to Christ. Wycliffe denounced
the worldliness and luxury of the Popes and the spiritual bankruptcy of
the office of pope. The papacy had departed from the simple Faith and
practice of Christ and His disciples. Wycliffe wrote: “Christ is
truth, the Pope is the principle of falsehood. Christ lived in poverty,
the Pope labours for worldly magnificence. Christ refused temporal
dominion, the Pope seeks it.” CHRIST ALONE IS THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH In his book The Power of the Papacy published in 1379,
Wycliffe argues that the papacy is an office instituted by man, not God.
No pope’s authority could extend to secular government. The only
authority that any pope may have would depend upon him having the moral
character of the Apostle Peter. Any pope who does not follow Jesus
Christ is the anti-Christ. Wycliffe proclaimed that “Christ alone is the Head of the Church.” UNBIBLICAL PRACTICES CONDEMNED And the Church on earth Wycliffe defined as the whole wonder of the
elect, those chosen by God. The Church is the body of Christ, a unity
that knows nothing of popes, hierarchies, monks, friars, priests or
nuns. Nor can the salvation of the elect be effected by masses,
indulgences, penance, or any other devices of priestcraft. There is
nothing in the Bible about transubstantiation, pardons, absolutions,
worship of images, the adoration of saints, the treasury of merits laid
up at the reserve of the Pope, the distinction between venial and mortal
sins or confession to a priest. Compulsory confession Wycliffe
considered “the bondage of the anti-Christ.” Wycliffe declared that the reading and preaching of God’s Word “is of more value than the administration of any sacrament.” GOD’S LAW IS SUPREME In a letter written by Wycliffe to Pope Urban VI he maintained:
“The Gospel of Christ is the body of the Law of God, Christ is true God
and true man…the Roman pontiff is most bound to this Law of the
Gospel…Christ’s disciples are judged…according to their imitation of
Christ in their moral life…Christ was the poorest of men during the time
of His pilgrimage…He eschewed all worldly dominion…never should any of
the faithful imitate the Pope himself nor any of the saints except in so
far as he may have imitated the Lord Jesus Christ…the Pope should leave
temporal dominion to the secular arm…God…has always taught me to obey
God rather than men.” In this letter Wycliffe also refers to the “deceitful counsel…malicious counsel…anything contrary to the Law of the Lord” as “anti-Christ.” SCRIPTURE ALONE IS OUR AUTHORITY In 1378, Wycliffe completed the book The Truth of Holy Scripture.In it he wrote: “Holy
Scripture is the pre-eminent authority for every Christian and the rule
of faith and of all human perfection…it is necessary for all men, not
for priests alone…Christ and His Apostles taught the people in the
language best known to them…therefore the doctrine should not only be in
Latin, but in the vulgar tongue…the more these are known the
better…believers should have the Scriptures in a language which they
fully understand.” Wycliffe taught that Scripture contains
everything that is necessary for our salvation. All other authorities
must be tested by the Scripture. “Christ’s Law is best and enough, and other laws men should not take, but as branches of God’s Law.” TRANSLATING THE SCRIPTURES Therefore Wycliffe supervised a handful of scholars at Oxford in
the translation of the Latin Bible into the English language. This was
the very first translation of the entire Bible into the English
language. The only source that Wycliffe’s translators had to work with
was a Latin hand written manuscript of a translation made 1000 years
previously. Wycliffe is called “the father of English prose” because of the clarity and effectiveness of his writings and sermons, which did much to unify and shape the English language. THE LOLLARDS EVANGELISE ENGLAND From Oxford, Wycliffe trained and sent out “poor priests”
(the Lollards) into the fields, villages and churches, to preach in the
marketplaces, to read and sing the Scriptures in English and to win
people for Christ. These itinerant evangelists became a tremendous power
in the land as they spread the knowledge of the Scriptures throughout
England. PERSECUTION FROM PAPAL PHARISEES As a result of these activities and teachings, one Pope issued five bulls against John Wycliffe for “heresy”.
The Catholic Church tried him three times, and two popes summoned him
to Rome. However, Wycliffe wisely refused each summons and the political
protection of the Duke of Lancaster kept Wycliffe alive and free. He
was never imprisoned. His followers, however were hunted down, expelled from Oxford and mercilessly
persecuted. To get an idea of the scandal and controversy engendered by
Wycliffe’s Reformation, we should note what was written by Henry
Knighton, a Catholic chronicler: “Christ gave His Gospel to the
clergy…but this master John Wycliffe translated the Gospel from Latin
into the English…common to all and more open to the laity and even to
women…and so the pearl of the Gospel is thrown before swine and trodden
under foot…the jewel of the clergy has been turned into the jest of the
laity…has become common.” The Archbishop of Canterbury, Arundel, said: that “pestilent
and most wretched John Wycliffe, of damnable memory, a child of the old
devil, and himself a child or pupil of anti-Christ…crowned his
wickedness by translating the Scriptures into the mother tongue!” THE BIBLE IN ENGLISH – BANNED A synod of clergy in 1408 decreed: “It is dangerous…to
translate the text of Holy Scripture…we decree and ordain that no-one
shall in future translate on his authority any text of Scripture into
the English tongue or into any other tongue, by way of book, booklet or
treatiese. Nor shall any man read, in public or in private, this kind of
book, booklet or treatiese, now recently composed in the time of the
said John Wycliffe…on the penalty of the greater excommunication.” EARTHQUAKE INTERRUPTS ANATHEMAS In 1382, at a church council called by Archbishop Courtenay, 24 of
Wycliffe’s teachings were condemned. During that council there was an
earthquake. Wycliffe and the Lollards interpreted the earthquake as a
sign of God’s displeasure with the corrupt and un-Biblical Roman clergy. ROME VS JERUSALEM Wycliffe scorned the idea that because Peter died in Rome,
therefore every Bishop of Rome is to be set above all of Christendom. By
the same reasoning, he noted that the Muslim Turk might conclude that
because they controlled Jerusalem where Christ died, their Mullah has
power over the Pope! WHO CAN FORGIVE SINS? Wycliffe attacked the corruptions, superstitions and abuses of the
friars and monks. He exposed their supposed powers to forgive sins as
fraudulent. “Who can forgive sins?” Wycliffe taught: “God alone!” Christ alone is the Head of the Church and God alone can forgive sins. PREPARATION FOR REFORMATION Wycliffe’s field workers (the Lollards) helped to prepare the way
for the English Reformation (in the 16th Century) by reading, preaching
and singing the Scriptures in English in marketplaces, fields and homes
throughout the land. TURNING THE TABLES Summoned to appear before a church council, Wycliffe rebuked the bishops for being “priests of Baal, selling blasphemy and idolatry in the mass and indulgences.” He then walked out of the assembly and refused a summons from the Pope. When Wycliffe was excluded from teaching in Oxford, he withdrew
to the congregation at Lutterworth, in Leicestershire, where he devoted
himself to writing during his few remaining years. In 1428, 44 years after Wycliffe’s death, by order of the Pope, the
bones of Wycliffe were dug up and burned. As one historian commented: “They
burned his bones to ashes and cast them into the Swift, a neighbouring
brook running close by. Thus the brook conveyed his ashes to the Avon,
the Avon into the Severn, the Severn into the narrow seas and they into
the main ocean. And so the ashes of Wycliffe are symbolic of his
doctrine, which is now spread throughout the world.” Wycliffe was the father of the Reformation – its morning star.

MARTIN LUTHER – CAPTIVE TO THE WORD OF GOD

The Reformation was one of the most momentous turning points in world
history. It was led by men of strong faith, deep convictions, great
intelligence, high moral standards and tremendous courage. Towering
above all these great Reformers, Martin Luther stands out as the most
courageous, controversial and influential Reformer of all time.

THE CONTROVERSIALLuther has been alternatively described as the brilliant scholar
who rediscovered the central message of the Bible, a prophet like Elijah
and John the Baptist to reform God’s people, the liberator who arose to
free his people from the oppression of Rome, the last medieval man, and
the first modern man. Zwingli described him as: “the Hercules who defeated the tyranny of Rome.” Pope Leo X called Luther: “A wild boar, ravaging his vineyard.” Emperor Charles V described him as: “A demon in the habit of a monk!”

THE SONMartin Luther was born 10 November 1483 in Eisleben, Saxony. His father, Hans Luder had worked hard to climb the “social ladder”
from his humble peasant origins to become a successful copper mining
entrepeneur. Hans married Margaretha Lindemann, the daughter of a
prosperous and gifted family that included doctors, lawyers, university
professors and politicians. Hans Luder owned several mines and smelters
and he became a member of the City Council in Mansfield, where Martin
was raised, under the strict discipline typical of that time.

THE STUDENT
From age 7, Martin began studying Latin at school. Hans intended his
son to become a lawyer, so he was sent on to the University of Erfurt
before his 14th birthday. Martin proved to be extraordinarily
intelligent and he earned his BA and MA degrees in the shortest time
allowed by the statutes of the University. Martin proved so effective in
debating, that he earned the nickname: “the philosopher.”

THE STORM
As Martin excelled in his studies, he began to be concerned about
the state of his soul and the suitability of the career his father had
set before him. While travelling on foot, near the town of Stotternhein,
a violent thunder storm brought Martin to his knees. With lightening
striking all around him, Luther cried out for protection to the patron
saint of miners: “St. Anne, help me, I will become a monk!” The storm around him matched the conflict raging within his soul.

THE MONK
Although his parents were pious people, they were shocked when he
abandoned his legal studies at Erfurt and entered the Augustinian
monastery. Martin was 21 years old when, in July 1505, he gave away all
his possessions – including his lute, his many books and clothing – and
entering the Black Cloister of the Augustinians.

Luther
quickly adapted to monastic life, throwing himself wholeheartedly into
the manual labour, spiritual disciplines and studies required. He went
way beyond the fasts, prayers and ascetic practices required and forced
himself to sleep on the cold stone floor without a blanket, whipped
himself, and seriously damaged his health. He was described as: “devout, earnest, relentlessly self-disciplined, unsparingly self-critical, intelligent…” and “impeccable.”
Luther rigorously pursued the monastic ideal and devoted himself to
study, prayer and the sacraments. He wearied his priest with his
confessions and with his punishments of himself with fasting, sleepless
nights, and flagellation.

THE PROFESSOR
Luther’s wise and godly superior, Johannes von Staupitz recognised
Martin’s great intellectual talents and to channel his energies away
from excessive introspection ordered him to undertake further studies,
including Hebrew, Greek and the Scriptures to become a university
lecturer for the order.

Luther
was ordained a priest in 1507 and studied and taught at the
Universities of Wittenberg and Erfurt (1508 – 1511). In 1512, Martin
Luther received his doctoral degree and took the traditional vow on
becoming a professor at Wittenberg University to faithfully teach and
defend the Scriptures. This vow would be a tremendous source of
encouragement to him later. Luther never viewed himself as a rebel, but
rather as a theologian seeking to be faithful to the vow required of him
to teach and defend Holy Scripture. Luther committed most of the New
Testament, much of the Old Testament and all of the Psalms to memory.

WITTENBERG
The University of Wittenberg had been founded by Prince Frederick of
Saxony in 1502. Luther’s friend from his university days in Erfurt,
George Spalatin, was now chaplain and secretary to the Prince, and
closely involved in the Prince’s pet project of his new university.
Wittenberg at this time was a small little river town with only about
2,000 residents. Prince Frederick wanted to build it up into his new
capital of Saxony.

STUDIES THAT SHOOK THE WORLD
From 1513 to 1517, Luther lectured at the University on the Psalms,
Romans and Galatians. Being a university professor would have been a
full-time job, however Luther had other responsibilities as well. He was
the supervisor for 11 Augustinian monasteries, including the one at
Wittenberg. Luther was also responsible for preaching regularly at the
monastery chapel, the town church and the castle church. It was a
combination of Luther’s theological and pastoral concerns that led him
to take the actions that sparked the Reformation.

Luther had long been troubled spiritually with the righteousness of God. God demanded absolute righteousness “be perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect.”“Be holy, as I am Holy.” We are obligated to love God whole heartedly, and our neighbours as ourselves.

It
was because of his great concern for his eternal salvation that Luther
had sought to flee the world. In spite of the bitter grief and anger of
his father, he had buried himself in the cloister and devoted himself to
a life of the strictest asceticism. Yet, despite devoting himself to
earning salvation by good works, cheerfully performing the humblest
tasks, praying, fasting, chastising himself even beyond the strictest
monastic rules, he was still oppressed with a terrible sense of his
utter sinfulness and lost condition.

“THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH”
Then Luther found some comfort in the devotional writings of Bernard
of Clairvoux, who stressed the free grace of Christ for salvation. The
writings of Augustine provided further light. Then, as he begun to study
the Scriptures, in the original Hebrew and Greek, joy unspeakable
flooded his heart. It was 1512, as he began to study Paul’s Epistle to
the Romans, that the verse “For in the Gospel a righteousness from
God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last,
just as it is written: the righteous will live by faith” Romans 1:17.

Luther
later testified that as he began to understand that this righteousness
of God is a free gift by God’s grace through which we may live by faith,
“I felt entirely born again and was led through open gates into
Paradise itself. Suddenly the whole of Scripture had a different
appearance for me. I recounted the passages which I had memorized and
realized that other passages, too, showed that the work of God is what
God works in us… thus St. Paul’s words that the just shall live by faith, did indeed become to me the gateway to Paradise.”
The burden of his sin rolled away. Up until then, Luther had tried to
earn salvation by his good works, although he never felt that he had
been able to do enough. Now, God had spoken to him through the
Scripture. Man is not saved by works, but by faith alone.

A TURNING POINT
As a doctor, Luther had taken an oath to faithfully serve the Church
by the study and teaching of Holy Scripture. At the university, he was
responsible to prepare pastors. Now, having experienced God’s grace in
Christ, studying God’s Word, Luther began to see the emptiness,
self-absorption, the pious pretence and superstitious unbelief of his
previous religious devotion. Nor could Luther fail to recognise the same
pious fraud and pharisaical futility all around him.

In
1510, before being made a professor at Wittenberg, Luther had been sent
to Rome for his monastic order. What he had seen there had shocked and
disillusioned him. Rome was the pre-immanent symbol of ancient
civilisation and “the residence of Christ’s Vicar on earth” the Pope. Luther was horrified by the blatant immorality and degeneracy prevalent In Rome at that time.

UNDERSTANDING CATHOLICISM
The centre of medieval Roman Catholic Church life was the Mass, the
Sacrament of the altar. The Roman Catholic institution placed much
emphasis on the punishment of sin in Purgatory, as a place of cleansing
by fire before the faithful were deemed fit to enter Heaven. They taught
that there were four sacraments that dealt with the forgiveness, and
the removal of sin, and the cancellation of its punishment: Baptism, The
Mass, Penance and Extreme Unction. The heart of Penance was the
priestly act of Absolution whereby the priest pardoned the sins and
released the penitent from eternal punishment. Upon the words of
Absolution, pronounced by the priest, the penitent sinner received the
forgiveness of sins, release from eternal punishment and restoration to a
state of grace. This would required the sinner making some
satisfaction, by saying a prescribed number of prayers, by fasting, by
giving alms, by going on a pilgrimage, or by taking part in a crusade.

INDULGENCES
In time, the medieval church had come to allow the penitent to
substitute the payment of a sum of money for other forms of penalty or
satisfaction. The priest could then issue an official statement, an
indulgence, declaring the release from other penalties through the
payment of money. In time, the Catholic church came to allow indulgences
to be bought, not only for oneself, but also for relatives and friends
who had died and passed into Purgatory. They claimed that these
indulgences would shorten the time that would otherwise had to be spent
suffering in Purgatory.

This practice of granting indulgences was based upon the Catholic doctrine of Works of Supererogation. This
unBiblical doctrine claimed that works done beyond the demands of God’s
Law earned a reward. As Christ and the saints had perfected Holiness
and laid up a rich treasury of merits in Heaven, the Roman Church
claimed that it could draw upon this treasury of “extra merits” to provide satisfaction for those who paid a specified sum to the church.

THE INDULGENCE INDUSTRY
This system of indulgences was very popular with the masses of
people who preferred to pay a sum of money to saying many prayers and
partaking in many masses to shorten the suffering in Purgatory of either
themselves, or a loved one. The industry of indulgences had also become
a tremendous source of income for the Papacy.

In
order to fund the building of the magnificent St. Peters Cathedral in
Rome, Pope Leo X had authorised a plenary, or total indulgence. And so
it was on this papal fundraising campaign to complete the construction
of St. Peters Basilica, that Dominican monk and indulgence
salesman extraordinary, John Tetzel arrived in Saxony. The shameless and
scandalosous manner in which Tetzel hawked the indulgences outraged
Martin Luther. Sales jingles such as: “As soon as the coin clinks in the chest, a soul flies up to Heavenly rest” were deceiving gullible people about their eternal souls.

Luther’s
study of the Scripture had convinced him that salvation came by the
grace of God alone, based upon the atonement of Christ on the cross
alone, received by faith alone. Indulgences could not remove any guilt,
and could only induce a false sense of security. People were being
deceived for eternity.

THE 95 THESES
Concerns that had been growing since his visit to Rome in 1510, led
Luther to now make a formal objection to the abuses of indulgences. On
All Saint Day (1 November), people would be coming from far and wide in
order to view the more than 5,000 relics exhibited in the Schlosskirche,
which had been built specifically for the purpose of housing this
massive collection. So, on 31 October 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95
Theses against indulgences onto the door of the castle church. He also
posted a copy to the Archbishop of Mainz.

These
Theses created such as sensation that within 2 weeks, they had been
printed and read throughout Germany. Within the month, translations were
being printed and sold all over Europe.

The 95 Theses begins with the words: “Since
our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ says: ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of
Heaven is near’(Matthew 4:17), He wants the whole life of a believer to
be a life of Repentance.”

Luther
maintained that no sacrament can take away our responsibility to
respond to Christ’s command by an inner repentance evidenced by an
outward change, a transformation and renewal of our entire life. Luther
emphised that it is God alone who can forgive sins, and that indulgences
are a fraud. It would be far better to give to the poor, than to waste
one’s money on indulgences. If the Pope really had power over the souls
suffering in Purgatory, why would he not release them out of pure
Christian charity?

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
Luther’s 95 Theses radically undermined Tetzel’s business, almost
bringing the sale of indulgences to a standstill. Tetzel, Mazzolini, and
John Eck published attacks on Luther, defending the sale of
indulgences. When none of Luther’s friends rose to his defense, Luther
felt deserted. Many of his closest friends believed that he had been too
rash in his criticism of this established church practice. With the
pope’s power challenged and papal profits eroded, church officials
mobilised their forces to bring this rebellious monk into line. First
the Augustinians at their regular meeting in Heidelberg sought to
silence Luther. Then he underwent three excruciating interviews with
Cardinal Cajetan in Augsburg. Then in June 1519, John Eck debated Luther
in Leipzig.

Some
close friends of Luther tried to persuade him to settle things
peacefully by giving in, but to Luther this was now a matter of
principle. Scriptural truth and eternal souls were at stake.

In
preparation of the Leipzig debate, Luther had plunged into the study of
church history and canon law. His studies convinced Luther that many of
the decretals, such as the donation of Constantine, were forgeries.

THE LEIPZIG DEBATE
On 4 July 1519, Eck and Luther faced one another in Leipzig. The
issue being debated was the supremacy of the Pope. Luther pointed out
that the Eastern Greek Church was part of the Church of Christ, even
though it had never acknowledged the supremacy of the Bishop in Rome.
The great Church Councils of Nicea, Chalcedon and Ephesus knew nothing
of papal supremacy. But Eck maneuvered Luther into a corner and provoked
him to defend some of the teachings of (condemned heretic) John Hus. By
making Luther openly take a stand on the side of a man official
condemned by the church as a heretic, Eck was convinced that he had won
the debate. However, Luther greatly strengthened his cause amongst his
followers, winning new many new supporters, including Martin Bucer, (who
became a crucial leader of the Reformation, even helping to disciple
John Calvin).

Luther published an account of the Leipzig debate and followed this up with an abundance of teaching pamphlets. “On Good Works” had a far reaching effect teaching that man is saved by faith alone. “The noblest of all good works is to believe in Jesus Christ;” Luther
maintained: shoemakers, housekeepers, farmers and businessmen, if they
do their work to the glory of God, are more pleasing to God than monks
and nuns.

EXCOMMUNICATION
On 15 June 1520, Pope Leo X signed the Bull excommunicating Luther. Describing Luther’s teaching as: “heretical”, “scandalous”, “false”, “offensive” and “seducing”,
the Bull called upon all Christians to burn Luther’s books and forbid
Luther to preach. All towns or districts that sheltered him would be
placed under an interdict.

In response, Luther wrote: “Against the Execrable Bull of AntiChrist.”
On 10 December 1520, surrounded by a large crowd of students and
lecturers, he burned the Papal bull, along with books of canon law,
outside the walls of Wittenberg.

Having exhausted all ecclesiastical means to bring Luther to heel, Pope Leo now appealed to the Emperor to deal with Luther.

SUMMONED TO WORMS
Previously, in 1518, when the Pope had summoned Luther to Rome,
Prince Frederick had brought all his influence to have this Papal
summons cancelled. When Luther had been summoned to Augsburg and
Leipzig, Prince Fredrick had arranged for safe conduct guarantees. But
now, that the Emperor Maximilian had died, Charles V of Spain had been
elected Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Prince Frederick himself had
been a serious contender for this position, and still held tremendous
influence. So he prevailed upon Charles V to guarantee safe conduct for
Luther as he was summoned to Worms for a Council of German rulers.

THE STATE
In the year before his summons to the Diet of Worms, Luther
published some of his most powerful and influential treatises. In the Address to the German Nobility (August
1520) he called on the Princes to correct the abuses within the church,
and to free the German church from the exploitation of Rome.

THE CHURCH
In The Babylonian Captivity of the Church (October 1520),
Luther argued that Rome’s sacramental system held Christians captive. He
attacked the papacy for depriving individual Christians of their
freedom to approach God directly by faith – without the mediation of
unBiblical priests and sacraments. To be valid, a sacrament had to be
instituted by Christ and be exclusively Christian. By these tests, he
could find no justification for five of the Roman Catholic sacraments.
Luther retained only Baptism and The Lord’s Supper and placed these
within the community of believers, rather than in the hands of a church
hierarchy. Indeed, Luther dismissed the traditional view of the church
as the sacred hierarchy headed by the Pope and presented the Biblical
view of the Church as a community of the regenerate in which all
believers are priests, having direct access to God through Christ.

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
In The Liberty of a Christian Man (November 1520), Luther
presented the essentials of Christian belief and behaviour. Luther
removed the necessity of monastism by stressing that the essence of
Christian living lies in serving God in our calling, whether secular or
ecclesiastical. In promoting this Protestant Work Ethic, Luther laid the
foundation for free enterprise and the tremendous productivity it has
inspired. He taught that good works do not make a man good, but a good
man does good works. Fruit does not produce a tree, but a tree does
produce fruit. We are not saved by doing good works, but by grace alone.
However, once saved, we should expect good works to flow as the fruit
of true faith.

FACING CERTAIN DEATH
Summoned to Worms, Luther believed that he was going to his death.
He insisted that his co-worker, Philip Melanchthon, remain in
Wittenberg. “My dear brother, If I do not come back, if my enemies
put me to death, you will go on teaching and standing fast in the truth;
if you live, my death will matter little.” Luther at Worms was 37
years old. He had been excommunicated by the Pope. Luther would have
remembered that the Martyr, John Hus, a Century before had travelled to
Constance with an imperial safe conduct, which was not honoured. Luther
declared: “Though Hus was burned, the truth as not burned, and Christ
still lives… I shall go to Worms, though there be as many devils there
as tiles on the roofs.”

Luther’s
journey to Worms was like a victory parade. Crowds lined the roads
cheering the man who had dared to stand up for Germany against the Pope.

BEFORE THE EMPERORAt 4 o’ clock on Wednesday 17 April, Luther stood before the rulers
of the Holy Roman Empire. Charles V, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire,
ruled all the Austrian domains, Spain, Netherlands, a large part of
Italy and the Americas. At 21 years old, Charles V ruled over a
territory larger than any man since Charlemagne.

Amidst
the pomp and splendor of this imperial gathering, stood the throne of
the Emperor on a raised platform. It was flanked by Spanish knights in
gleaming armour, 6 Princes, 24 Dukes, 30 Archbishops and Bishops, and 7
Ambassadors.

Luther
was asked to identify whether the books on the table were his writings.
Upon Luther’s confirmation that they were, an official asked Luther: “Do you wish to retract them, or do you adhere to them and continue to assert them?”
Luther had come expecting an opportunity to debate the issues, but it
was made clear to him that no debate was to be tolerated. The Imperial
Diet was ordering him to recant all his writings. Luther requested more
time, so that he might answer the question without injury to the Word of
God and without peril to his soul. The Emperor granted him 24 hours.

CONFRONTATION
The next day, Thursday 18 April, as the sun was setting and torches
were being lit, Luther was ushered into the august assembly. He was
asked again whether he would recant what he had written. Luther
responded that some of his books taught established Christian doctrine
on faith and good works. He could not deny accepted Christian doctrines.
Other of his books attacked the papacy and to retract these would be to
encourage tyranny and cover up evil. In the third category of books, he
had responded to individuals who were defending popery and in these
Luther admitted he had written too harshly.

The examiner was not satisfied: “You must give a simple, clear and proper answer… will you recant or not?”

“HERE I STAND”
Luther’s response, first given in Latin and then repeated in German, shook the world: “Unless
I am convinced by Scripture or by clear reasoning that I am in error –
for popes and councils have often erred and contradicted themselves – I
cannot recant, for I am subject to the Scriptures I have quoted; my
conscience is captive to the Word of God. It is unsafe and dangerous to
do anything against ones conscience. Here I stand. I cannot do
otherwise. So help me God. Amen.”

Amidst
the shocked silence, cheers rang out for this courageous man who had
stood up to the Emperor and the Pope. Luther turned and left the
tribunal. Numerous German nobles formed a circle around Luther and
escorted him safely back to his lodgings.

CONDEMNED
The Emperor was furious. However, Prince Frederick insisted that
Charles V honour the guarantee of safe conduct for Luther. Charles V
raged against “this devil in the habit of a monk” and issued the edict of Worms, which declared Luther an outlaw, ordering his arrest and death as a “heretic.”

KIDNAPPED
As Luther travelled back to Wittenberg, preaching at towns on the
route, armed horsemen plunged out of the forest, snatched Luther from
his wagon and dragged him off to Wartburg Castle. This kidnapping had
been arranged by Prince Frederick amidst great secrecy in order to
preserve Luther’s life. Despite the Emperor’s decree that anyone helping
Luther was subject to the loss of life and property, Frederick risked
his throne and life to protect his pastor and professor.

WARTBURG CASTLE
For the 10 months that Luther was hidden at Wartburg Castle, as Knight George (Junker Jorg), he translated The New Testament into German and wrote such booklets as: “On Confession Whether the Pope Has the Authority to Require It; On the Abolition of Private Masses” and “Monastic Vows.” By 1522, The New Testament in German was on sale for but a week’s wages.

REVOLUTION REBUKED
In Luther’s absence, Professor Andreas Karlstadt instituted
revolutionary changes, which led to growing social unrest. In March
1522, Luther returned to Wittenberg, and in 8 days of intensive
preaching, renounced many of Karlstadt’s innovations, declaring that he
was placing too much emphasis on external reforms and introducing a new
legalism that threatened to overshadow justification by faith and the
spirituality of the Gospel. Luther feared that the new legalism being
introduced would undermine the Reformed movement from within.

THE PEASANTS REVOLT
When the peasants’ revolt erupted, Luther was horrified at the
anarchy, chaos and bloodshed. He repudiated the revolutionaries and
wrote “Against the Robbing and Murdering Hordes of Peasants.”
Aghast at the devastation and massacres caused by the peasants revolt,
Luther taught that the princes had the duty to restore social order and
crush the insurrection.

MARRIAGE
Also in 1525, on 13 June, Luther married Katherine von Bora, a former nun from a noble family. Luther called home life: “the school of character”
and he stressed the importance of the family as the basic building
block of society. Luther and Katie were blessed with 6 children.

THE BONDAGE OF THE WILL
Also in 1525, Luther wrote one his most important books: “On the Bondage of the Will.” This was in response to Desiderius Erasmus’s book on The Freedom of The Will,
published in 1524. Luther responded scathingly to Erasmus’s theories on
free will, arguing that man’s will is so utterly in bondage to sin,
that only God’s action could save. Luther articulated the Augustinian
view of predestination and declared that he much preferred that his
salvation be in God’s Hands, rather than in his own.

As a result of the exchange between Luther and Erasmus, many Renaissance Humanist scholars ceased to support Luther.

A TIME OF CHANGE
The Reformation not only brought about sweeping changes in the
church, but dramatic changes in all of society. First of all the
Reformation focused on bringing doctrines, forms of church government,
and of worship and daily life into conformity with the Word of God. But
this of course had tremendous implications for political, economical,
social and cultural life as well.

GOD’S WORD ABOVE ALL THINGS
Luther revised the Latin liturgy and translated it into German. Now
the laity received the Communion in both bread and wine, as the Husites
had taught a Century earlier. The whole emphasis in church services
changed from the sacramental celebration of the Mass as a sacrifice, to
the preaching and teaching of God’s Word. Luther maintained that every
person has the right and duty to read and study the Bible in his own
language. This became the foundation of the Reformation: a careful study
of the Bible as the source of all truth and as the only legitimate
authority, for all questions of faith and conduct.

THE TRUE CHURCH
The Church is a community of believers, not a hierarchy of
officials. The Church is an organism rather than an organisation, a
living body of which each believer is a member.

Luther
stressed the priesthood of all believers. We do not gain salvation
through the church, but we become members of the Church when we become
believers.

1. Authority – the Bible alone is our authority and not the councils or leaders of the Church. The Bible is above tradition.

2. Salvation – is by the grace of God alone, accomplished by the atonement of Christ alone, received by faith alone. Grace comes before sacraments.

3. The Church – the true Church is composed of the elect, those regenerated by God’s Holy Spirit. Regenerate Church membership.

4. The Priesthood – consists of all true believers. The priesthood of all believers.

THE BATTLE CRIES OF THE REFORMATION

The Protestant Reformation mobilised by Luther rallied around these great battle cries:

Sola Christus – Christ alone is the Head of the Church.

Sola Scriptura – Scripture alone is our authority.

Sola Gratia – Salvation is by the grace of God alone.

Sola Fide – Justification is received by faith alone.

Soli Deo Gloria – Everything is to be done for the glory of God alone.

LUTHER’S LEGACY
Despite Luther being declared an outlaw by the Emperor, he survived
to minister and write for 25 more years, and died of natural causes, 18
February 1546.

In
spite of many illnesses, Luther remained very active and productive as
an advisor to princes, theologians and pastors, publishing major
commentaries, producing great quantities of books and pamphlets, and he
completed the translation of The Old Testament into German by 1534.
Luther continued preaching and teaching to the end of his life. He
frequently entertained students and guests in his home, and he produced
beautiful poems and hymns, including one hymn that will live forever: “Ein Feste Burg Ist Unser Gott”(A Mighty Fortress Is Our God).

Luther
also did a great deal to promote education. He labored tirelessly for
establishment of schools everywhere. Luther wrote his Shorter Catechism in order to train up children in the essential doctrines of the faith.

It
has been common to portray Luther as a simple and obscure monk, who
challenged the pope and emperor. Actually Luther was anything but simple
or obscure. He was learned, experienced and accomplished far beyond
most men of his age. He had lived in Magdeburg, Eisenach and was one of
the most distinguished graduates of the University of Erfurt. Luther
travelled to Cologne, to Leipzig, and had crossed the Alps, and
travelled to Rome. Luther was a great student, with a tremendous breadth
of reading, who had excelled in his studies, and achieved a Master of
Arts and Doctorate in Theology in record time. He was an accomplished
bestselling author, one of the greatest preachers of all time, a highly
respected theological professor, and one of the first professors to
lecture in the German language, instead of in Latin.

Far
from being a simple monk, Luther was the Prior of his monastery and the
district vicar over 11 other monasteries. Luther was a monk, a priest, a
preacher, a professor, a writer, and a Reformer. He was one of most
courageous and influential people in all of history. The Lutheran Faith
was not only adopted in Northern Germany, but also throughout Denmark,
Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland.

Luther
was a controversial figure in his day and has continued to be
considered controversial to this very day. There is no doubt that
Luther’s search for peace with God changed the whole course of human
history. He challenged the power of Rome over the Christian Church,
smashed the chains of superstition and tyranny and restored the
Christian liberty to worship God in spirit and in truth.

“For
I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to
salvation for everyone who believes …For in it the righteousness of God
is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, the just shall live
by faith.” Romans 1:16 – 23

WILLIAM TYNDALE AND

THE BATTLE FOR THE BIBLE

Did
you know that the first English translations of the Bible were banned?
That the first printed copies of the New Testament in English had to be
printed in Germany and smuggled into England in bales of cotton? Did you
know that the Bible translator responsible for this was burned at the stake for the crime of translating the Scriptures into English?

Bishop Stephen Bradley observed: “We are in danger of forgetting truths for which previous generations gave their lives.”

That
our churches are in danger of forgetting the great Reformation truths,
for which previous generations of martyrs willingly laid down their
lives, was forcefully impressed upon me during a ministry trip to Europe
in 2005. I had the opportunity to visit Oxford and see the Martyrs
Memorial. It drew my attention to an event that occurred 450 years
before.

THE OXFORD MARTYRS

On
16 October 1555, just outside the walls of Balliol College, Oxford, a
stout stake had been driven into the ground with fagots of firewood
piled high at its base. Two men were lead out and fastened to the stake
by a single chain bound around both their waists.

The
older man was Hugh Latimer, the Bishop of Worcester, one of the most
powerful preachers of his day, and the other Nicolas Ridley, the Bishop
of London, respected as one of the finest theologians in England.

More
wood was carried and piled up around their feet. Then it was set
alight. As the wood kindled and the flames began to rise, Bishop Latimer
encouraged his companion: “Be of good cheer, Master Ridley, and play
the man! We shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in
England, as I trust shall never be put out.”

Hundreds in the crowd watching the burning of these bishops wept openly.

The
place of their execution is marked today by a small stone cross set in
the ground in Broad Street, while nearby in St. Giles stands the
imposing Martyrs Memorial, erected 300 years later in memory of these
two men and of Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who 4
months after their execution suffered the same tortured death by
burning, in the same place, and for the same reason.

HALLOWEEN VS REFORMATION DAY

As
I stood and considered the sacrifices and sufferings of these
courageous Reformers in Oxford, crowds bustled by without stopping for
even a moment to consider the historic significance of Latimer, Ridley
and Cranmer’s martyrdom exactly 450 years before.

And it is not just the secular population who seem insensible to the significance
of the Reformation in achieving levels of freedom, productivity and
prosperity unparalleled in history. Visits to the various impressive
cathedrals and churches in Oxford and London indicated that most church
goers seem oblivious to the great issues that inspired the Protestant
Reformation, and the life changing, culture transforming faith for which
these brave souls gave their lives.

The
issues, programmes and events being advertised on the church calendars
and in displays, notice boards and literature tables in the vestibules
of these impressive architectural masterpieces spoke more of the
secularizing of the Church than of any spiritual Reformation or
missionary vision.

On Reformation Days, 31 October, many Christians seem more
conscious of Halloween than of the Reformation. It appears that more of
the children in our churches are celebrating the pagan and occultic
Halloween than the great spiritual Revival that led to the birth of the
Protestant Reformation.

FAITH AND FREEDOM

On
one day in 1519 seven men and women in Coventry were burned alive for
teaching their children the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments and the
Apostles Creed – in English!

In his trial, Bishop Ridley was urged to reject the Protestant Faith. His reply: “As for the doctrine which I have taught, my conscience assureth me that it is sound, and according to God’s Word…in confirmation thereof I seal the same with my blood.”

After much further pressure and torment, Bishop Ridley responded: “So long as the breath is in my body, I will never deny my Lord Christ, and His known truth: God’s will be done in me!”

Bishop Latimer declared: “I
thank God most heartily, that He hath prolonged my life to this end,
that I may in this case glorify God by that kind of death.”

THE ILLEGAL ENGLISH BIBLE

It
may surprise most English speaking Christians that the first Bible
printed in English was illegal and that the Bible translator was burned
alive for the crime of translating God’s Word into English.

William
Tyndale is known as the father of the English Bible, because he
produced the first English translation from the original Hebrew and
Greek Scriptures. 150 years earlier Wycliffe had overseen a hand written
translation of the Bible, but this had been translated from the Latin
Vulgate. Because of the persecution and determined campaign to uncover
and burn these Bibles, few copies remain. It would take an average of 8
months to produce a single copy of the Wycliffe Bible, as they had to be
written out by hand. William Tyndale’s translation was the first copy
of the Scriptures to be printed in the English language.

The
official Roman Catholic and Holy Roman Empire abhorrence for Bibles
translated into the vernacular can be seen from these historic quotes:
The Archbishop of Canterbury Arundel declared: “That pestilent and
most wretched John Wycliffe, of damnable memory, a child of the old
devil, and himself a child and pupil of the anti-Christ…crowned his
wickedness by translating the Scriptures into the mother tongue.”

Catholic historian Henry Knighton wrote: “John
Wycliffe translated the Gospel from Latin into the English…made it the
property of the masses and common to all and…even to women…and so the
pearl of the Gospel is thrown before swine and trodden under foot and
what is meant to be the jewel of the clergy has been turned into the
jest of the laity…has become common…”

A synod of clergy in 1408 decreed:
“It is dangerous…to translate the text of Holy Scripture from one
language into another…we decree and ordain that no-one shall in future
translate on his authority any text of Scripture into the English tongue
or into any other tongue, by way of book, booklet or treatiese. Nor
shall any man read, in public or in private, this kind of book, booklet
or treatiese, now recently composed in the time of the said John
Wycliffe…under penalty of the greater excommunication.”

GOD’S OUTLAW

William
Tyndale was a gifted scholar, a graduate of both Oxford and Cambridge
Universities. It was at Cambridge that Tyndale was introduced to the
writings of Luther and Zwingli. Tyndale earned his M.A. at Oxford, then
he was ordained into the ministry, served as a chaplain and tutor and
dedicated his life to the translation of the Scriptures from the
original Hebrew and Greek languages.

Tyndale was shocked by the ignorance of the Bible prevalent amongst the clergy. To one such cleric he declared: “I
defy the Pope and all his laws. If God spares my life, before many
years pass I will make it possible for the boy who drives the plow to
know more of the Scriptures than you do.”

Failing
to obtain any ecclesiastical approval for his proposed translation,
Tyndale went into exile to Germany. As he described it “not only was
there no room in my lord of London’s palace to translate the New
Testament, but also that there was no place to do it in all England.”

Supported
by some London merchants, Tyndale sailed in 1524 for Germany, never to
return to his homeland. In Hamburg he worked on the New Testament, which
was ready for printing by the following year. As the pages began to
roll off the press in Cologne, soldiers of the Holy Roman Empire raided
the printing press. Tyndale fled with as many of the pages as had so far
been printed. Only one incomplete copy of this Cologne New Testament
edition survives.

Tyndale
moved to Worms where the complete New Testament was published the
following year (1526). Of the 6000 copies printed, only 2 of this
edition have survived.

Not
only did the first printed edition of the English New Testament need to
be produced in Germany, but they had to be smuggled into England. There
the bishops did all they could to seek them out and destroy them. The
Bishop of London, Cuthbert Tunstall, preached against the translation of
the New Testament into English and had copies of Tyndale’s New
Testaments ceremonially burned at St. Paul’s. the Archbishop of
Canterbury began a campaign of buying up these contraband copies of the
New Testament in order to burn them. As Tyndale remarked, his purchases
helped provide the finance for the new improved editions.

In
1530 Tyndale’s translation of the first five books of the Bible, the
Pentateuch (the books of Moses) were printed in Antwerp, Holland.
Tyndale continually worked on further revisions and editions of the New
Testament. He also wrote The Parable of Wicked Mammon and The Obedience of a Christian Man.

This book, The Obedience of a Christian Man, was studied by Queen Anne Boleyn and even found its way to King Henry VIII who was most impressed: “This book is for me and all kings to read!” King
Henry VIII sent out his agents to offer Tyndale a high position in his
court, a safe return to England and a great salary to oversee his
communications.

However,
Tyndale was not willing to surrender his work as a Bible translator,
theologian and preacher merely to become a propagandist for the king! In
his book The Practice of Prelates Tyndale argued against divorce
and specifically dared to assert that the king should remain faithful
to his first wife! Tyndale maintained that Christians always have the
duty to obey civil authority, except where loyalty to God is concerned.
Henry’s initial enthusiasm for Tyndale turned to rage and so now Tyndale
was an outlaw both to the Roman Catholic Church and its Holy Roman
Empire, and to the English kingdom.

Tyndale also carried out a literary battle with Sir Thomas More who attacked him in print with Dialogue Concerning Heresies in 1529. Tyndale responded with Answer to More. More responded with Confutation in 1533, and so on.

BETRAYAL AND BURNING

In
1535 Tyndale was betrayed by a fellow Englishman, Henry Phillips, who
gained his confidence only to treacherously arrange for his arrest.
Tyndale was taken to the state prison in the castle of Vilvorde, near
Brussels. For 500 days, Tyndale suffered in a cold , dark and damp
dungeon and then on 6 October, 1536, he was taken to a stake where he
was garroted and burned. His last reported words were: “Lord, open the king of England’s eyes.”

TYNDALE’S DYING PRAYER ANSWERED

The
Lord did indeed answer the dying prayer of Tyndale in the most
remarkable way. By this time there was an Archbishop of Canterbury
(Thomas Cranmer) and a Vicar General (Thomas Cromwell) both of whom were
committed to the Protestant cause. They persuaded King Henry to approve
the publication of the Coverdale translation. By 1539 every
parish church in England was required to make a copy of this English
Bible available to all of its parishioners.

Miles
Coverdale was a friend of Tyndale’s, a fellow Cambridge graduate and
Reformer. His edition was the first complete translation of the Bible in
English. It was mainly Tyndale’s work supplemented with those portions
of the Old Testament which Tyndale had not been able to translate before
his death.

Then, a year after Tyndale’s death, the Matthews Bible
appeared. This was the work of another friend and fellow English
Reformer, John Rogers. Because of the danger of producing Bible
translations, he used the pen-name Thomas Matthews which was an
inversion of William Tyndale’s initials (WT) TM. In fact at the end of
the Old Testament he had William Tyndale’s initials WT printed big and
bold.

At Archbishop Thomas Cranmer’s request, Henry VIII authorised that this Bible be further revised by Coverdale and be called The Great Bible.

And
so in this way Tyndale’s dying prayer was spectacularly answered. The
sudden, unprecedented countrywide access to the Scriptures created
widespread excitement. Just in the lifetime of William Shakespeare, 2
million Bibles were sold throughout the British Isles. About 90% of
Tyndale’s wording passed on into the King James Version of the Bible.

THE MOST INFLUENCIAL ENGLISHMAN

Not only can William Tyndale be described as the father of the English
Bible, but in a real sense the foremost influence on the shaping of the
English language itself. Because Tyndale’s translation was the very
first from the original Hebrew and Greek into the English language, he
had no previous translations to help in his choice of language. While
Latin is noun-rich, Greek and Hebrew are verb-rich. At that time the
English language had been heavily influenced by French and Latin.
Tyndale went back to the original Saxon and found that the Saxon English
was more compatible to the Greek and Hebrew than Latin and French.

The
clarity, simplicity and poetic beauty which Tyndale brought to the
English language through his Bible translation served as a linguistic
rallying point for the development of the English language. At the time
of his translation there were so many variations and dialects of English
and in many sections of the country the English language was being
swamped with French words and Latin concepts. Tyndale’s translation
rescued English from these Latin trends and established English as an
extension of the Biblical Hebrew and Greek worldview.

And so, every person in the world who writes, speaks, or even thinks, in
English, is to a large extent, indebted to William Tyndale. It is also
extraordinary that while English was one of the minor languages of
Europe in the early 16th Century, today it has become a truly worldwide language with over 2 billion people communicating in English.

PIONEERS FOR FREEDOM

The Reformation in the 16th
Century was one of the most important epochs in the history of the
world. The Reformation gave us the Bible – now freely available in our
own languages. The now almost university acknowledged principles of
religious freedom, liberty of conscience, the rule of law, the
separation of powers and constitutionally limited republics were
unthinkable before the Reformation. The Reformers fought for the
principles that Scripture alone is our final authority, that Christ
alone is the Head of the Church, that salvation is by the grace of God
alone, received by faith alone on the basis of the finished work of
Christ alone.

THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL

The
Gospel of Christ is life changing, culture shaping, history making and
nation transforming. If it doesn’t change your life, and the lives of
those around you, then it’s not the Biblical Gospel. Next Reformation Celebration
weekend (26 – 31 October) join with us as we celebrate the great
heritage of Faith and freedom, which was pioneered by John Wycliffe,
John Hus, Martin Luther, Ulrich Zwingli, John Calvin, John Knox, William
Tyndale and other courageous believers.

A HEART AFLAME AND A MIND RENEWED THE LEGACY OF REFORMER JOHN CALVIN

The exiled French Reformer, John Calvin,
became the most influential man of his age and his teachings have proven
to be some of the most influential in the shaping of Great Britain and
the United States of America.

Some of the greatest philosophers, writers,
Reformers and Christian leaders in history have described themselves as
Calvinists. Some of Calvin’s influential disciples include: John Knox,
William the Silent, Oliver Cromwell, John Owen, John Milton, Richard
Baxter, Jonathan Edwards, David Brainerd, George Whitefield, William
Carey, William Wilberforce, Sir Isaac Newton, Lord Shaftesbury, Charles
Spurgeon, David Livingstone, The Covenantors in Scotland, The Hugenots
of France, and the Pilgrim Fathers to New England.

The Reformation teachings of John Calvin were
foundational in the development of modern Europe and North America.
Calvin’s concept of the separation of church and civil government –
where each stand independent of each other yet recognise each others
Divine authority, supporting each other within their own spheres –
transformed Western Civilisation. Calvin’s ideals of religious
toleration, representative government, constitutionalising the monarchy,
establishing the rights and liberties of citizens and the Christian
Work ethic – in which secular society is seen as sacred (whereby the
arts, crafts, sciences and industries are all developed for the glory of
God) led to the industrial and scientific revolutions developing the
most productive and prosperous societies in history.

Calvin’s Reformation teachings dominated European
and American history for the rest of the 16 th and 17 th centuries –
setting the agendas and inspiring most of the greatest social reformers.
The record of history is that in every fight for freedom, whether the
Puritans in England, or the Dutch fighting for freedom from Catholic
Spain in the Netherlands, the Calvinists were in the forefront of
political and military resistance to tyranny.

It is an interesting historical observation that
one of the most enduring characteristics of Calvinism was that it
thrived in those countries where opposition was the greatest.

FOLLOWING LUTHER

John Calvin was a second-generation Reformer. He
carefully and consciously built upon the solid foundations laid by
Martin Luther and Ulrich Zwingli. Calvin looked to Luther as his father
in the Faith, with great respect. Luther was very aware of the
up-and-coming distinguished scholar and author, John Calvin, and praised
his Institutes.

However, while their foundations were the same,
Luther’s central focus was justification by faith, whereas Calvin’s
focus was primarily the sovereignty of God. These Reformers shared an
overwhelming sense of the majesty of God. Luther focused on the miracle
of forgiveness, while Calvin went on to give the assurance of the
impregnability of God’s purpose. If Luther’s central Biblical text was: “the just shall live by faith,” Calvin’s was: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”

SKILLED IN LOGIC AND LAW

John Calvin was born at Noyon, Picardy, on 10
July 1509. (He was 25 years younger than Martin Luther). Calvin entered
the University of Paris at age 14, studied Law, and graduated at age 19
with a Master of Arts degree. He was described as having a brilliant
writing style and a remarkable skill in logical argument. In later
years, it was said that while people may not have liked what Calvin
said, they could not have misunderstood what he meant!

FROM LAW TO OUTLAW

While Calvin was engaged in further studies at Orleans University he experienced what he described as a “sudden conversion”
from papal prejudice to Protestant conviction. With this spiritual
quickening, Calvin launched into preaching, teaching and counseling
amongst his peers. This in turn drew the attention of the state and soon
Calvin was on the run as an outlaw, living under aliases and having to
move frequently to avoid arrest.

THE INSTITUTES

In Basel, Calvin produced the first edition of his Institutes. The Institutes of the Christian Religion has been described as “the clearest, most logical and most readable exposition of Protestant doctrines that the Reformation age produced.”

The full title of this 1536 edition of the Institutes reads: “Basic
Instruction in the Christian Religion comprising almost the whole sum
of Godliness and all that it is needful to know of the doctrine of
salvation. A newly published work very well worth reading by all who
aspire to Godliness. The preface is to the most Christian King of
France, offering to him this book as a Confession of Faith by the
author, Jean Calvin of Noyon.”

This first edition was 516 pages long – divided
into 6 chapters on The Ten Commandments, The Apostle’s Creed, The Lord’s
Prayer, The Sacraments (true and false) and Christian Liberty.

The Institutes was an immediate success and
catapulted Calvin into international prominence. To the French
Protestants no one had spoken so effectively on their behalf, and so
with the publication of the Institutes, Calvin assumed a position of
leadership in the Protestant cause, in the French-speaking world.

AN ACCIDENTAL DETOUR

And so it was as a respected young author that
Calvin arrived in Geneva a mere 5 months later. Calvin never intended to
spend more than one night in Geneva. He was heading for Strassburg, and
compelled to take a deviation to avoid a local war. The Protestants in
Geneva recognised him, and William Farel (the redheaded evangelist and
Reformer who had won Geneva over to the Protestant Cause after a
marathon debate with the papists just 2 months previously) rushed over
to persuade Calvin to stay.

But Calvin had other plans, as he later observed: “Being by nature a bit antisocial and shy, I always loved retirement and peace…” Calvin planned a life of seclusion, study and “literary ease.”

CHALLENGED, CONVICTED AND CALLED

Farel would have none of this. He threatened Calvin with a curse: “You
are following only your own wishes, and I tell you, in the Name of God
Almighty, that if you do not help us in this work of the Lord, the Lord
will punish you for seeking your own interests rather than His.”

Convicted by Farel’s serious threat of
imprecations, gripped by the fear of God, and ashamed by his selfish
plans to avoid controversy and conflict, Calvin agreed to stay.

THE REFORMER OF GENEVA

For the next 28 years, apart from 3 years of
banishment, Calvin devoted himself to evangelising, discipling, teaching
and nurturing the churches in Geneva. Calvin’s dedication to duty and
intense drive set the highest standards of Christian work ethic. During
those two and a half decades in Geneva, Calvin lectured to theological
students, preached an average of 5 sermons a week, in addition to
writing commentaries on almost every book in the Bible, as well as
various other theological books. His correspondence alone fills 11
volumes.

PRODUCTIVITY DESPITE ILL HEALTH

Calvin was never physically strong, and by the
age of 30 he had broken his health. He would not sleep more than 4 hours
a night, and even when ill, he kept four secretaries busy with his
French and Latin dictation. He ate little, only one meal a day, suffered
from intense migraine headaches, was frequently ill with fever,
gallstones, chronic asthma and tuberculosis – yet he maintained a steady
discipline of study, preaching, producing a river of theological
treatises, a massive amount of correspondence and sustained constant
counseling, labour in the courts and received a stream of visitors. How
Calvin managed to remain so productive while suffering from such chronic
bad health is one of the mysteries of history.

DISCIPLING A CITY

Calvin’s goal in Geneva was a well-taught,
faithful church, dedicated to honouring God by orthodox praise and
obedient holiness. He prepared a Confession of Faith to be accepted by
everyone who wished to be a citizen, planned an educational programme
for all, and insisted on effective church discipline, including
excommunication for those whose lives did not conform to Biblical
standards. His was the most strenuous programme of moral discipline in
the Protestant world. And quite a lot more than the City Fathers of
Geneva had bargained for. In April 1538, the City Council expelled
Calvin and Farel.

EXILE AND RETURN

For the next 3 years Calvin pastored a church of
French refugees in the German city of Strassburg. These were the
happiest years in Calvin’s life. He married a widow, Idelette, was
honoured by the City of Strassburg as a respected teacher of theology
and was made the City’s representative to important religious
conferences in Germany. However, the city of Geneva urged His return. In
September 1541, with great reluctance, he once again took up the burden
of discipling Geneva. Calvin succeeded in turning Geneva into a model
example of a disciplined Christian community, a refuge for persecuted
Protestants from all over Europe, and a center for ministerial training.

PREDESTINATION AND PERSEVERENCE OF THE SAINTS

Calvin considered Divine election to eternal life
the deepest source of confidence, humility and moral power. While
Calvin taught that one could not know with a certainty who were God’s
elect, he believed that three tests could be adequate for effective
church discipline. A true Christian, John Calvin taught, could be
recognised by his or her public profession of faith, active
participation in church life, including participation in the two
sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, and by an upright moral
life.

LAW AND GRACE

Calvin taught that though Christians were no
longer condemned by the Law of God, the true Christian finds in the Law
God’s pattern for moral behaviour. Man is not justified by works, but no
man who is justified is without works. No one can be a true Christian
without aspiring to holiness in his or her life. Calvin set
justification by faith in a God centered, sanctification orientated
covenantal frame.

LIFE CHANGING AND LIBERATING

This rigorous pursuit of moral righteousness,
both personally and in society, was one of the primary features of
Calvinism. It made character a fundamental test of genuine Christianity
and explains Calvinism’s dynamic, social activism. God calls His elect
for His purposes. To Calvin, the consequence of Faith is strenuous
effort to build God’s Kingdom on earth.

FAITH AND FREEDOM

Calvin taught that no man – whether pope or king –
has any claim to absolute power. Calvin encouraged the development of
representative governments, and stressed the right to resist the tyranny
of unbelievers. Calvinist resistance to totalitarianism and absolutism
(the arbitary abuse of power by leaders) was a key factor in the
development of modern limited and constitutional governments. The Church
has the obligation, under the Almighty God, to guide the secular
authorities on spiritual and ethical matters. As a result, Calvinism
rapidly assumed international dimensions.

HOLLAND

In Holland, Calvinism provided the ralling point
for opposition to the oppression of Catholic Spain, which was occupying
their country at that time.

SCOTLAND

In Scotland, Calvin’s disciple, John Knox, taught
that Protestants had the right and duty to resist, by force if
necessary, any leader who tried to prevent their worship and mission.

ENGLAND

The Puritans in England established the supremacy of Parliament and constitutionally limited the power of the throne.

AMERICA

In North America, England’s 13 colonies
established the United States of America on Calvin’s principles of
representative government and the rule of Law, Lex Rex.

EVALUATING CALVIN

John Calvin stands out as one of the finest Bible
scholars, one of greatest systematic theologians and one of the most
profound religious thinkers in history. John Calvin was Bible centered
in his teaching, God centered in his living and Christ centered in his
Faith. He integrated the confessional principles of the Reformation –
Scripture alone is our authority, salvation is by the grace of God
alone, received by faith alone. Christ alone is the head of the Church,
everything should be done for the Glory of God alone – with supreme
clarity and conviction.

BIBLE BASED

The Institutes shows that Calvin was a Biblical
theologian. Nothing was in the Institutes for which Scripture was not
shown to support. As Calvin made clear in his Preface to the second
edition, the Institutes is meant to be a general preparation for Bible
study.

Calvin was a systematic theologian who
interpreted Scripture with Scripture. As a second-generation Reformer he
laboured consciously to confirm and conserve what those who preceded
him, Luther, Zwingli, Melancthon, Bucer and others, had established. He
spoke as a mainstream spokesman for the true universal Church.

A MONUMENTAL MASTERPIECE

The final edition of the Institutes, published in
1559, contained 80 chapters and more than 1000 pages. The Institutes
stands as the finest textbook of theology, apology for the Protestant
Faith, manifesto for the Reformation, handbook for Catechism, weapon
against heresy, and guide to Christian discipleship. It is a systematic
masterpiece, which has earned itself a permanent place amongst the
greatest Christian books in all of history.

THE FIRST BIBLE COMMENTARIES

In addition to writing the Institutes, John
Calvin produced the first Bible commentaries. He wrote commentaries on
every book in the Bible, except for Revelation. A theme that binds all
of Calvin’s works together is to know God and to make Him known.

TO KNOW GOD

He deals with what can be known about God (theology) and how to know God personally (devotion). Calvin’s motto was Prompte et sincere in opere Dei
(promptly and sincerely in the service of God). His emblem is of a
heart aflame in the hand of God. This is what Calvin wished to be, and
this, in fact, was what he was: a heart aflame for God who sought to be
faithful in the service of God, renewing his mind according to the Word
of God. To him it was not enough to know about God, but essential that
one knew Him personally, whole-heartedly, with a heart aflame for God.
Not for Calvin the dry-as-dust, cold-hearted, external and empty
religion, which epitomises so many of those who claim to follow him.
Calvin’s faith was intense, passionate and wholehearted.

To the question: What does it mean to know God?
Calvin answered: To know God is to acknowledge Him as He has revealed
Himself in Scripture and through Christ – worshiping Him and giving Him
thanks, humbling ourselves before Him as foolish and depraved sinners,
learning from His Word, loving God for His love in adopting and
redeeming us, trusting in God’s promises of pardon, glorifying what God
has accomplished through Christ, living in obedience to God’s Law and
seeking to honour God in all our human relationships and in all
connections with God’s creatures.

To the question: From where comes our knowledge?
Calvin answers: From the Holy Spirit, speaking in and through the
written Word of God by uniting us to the Risen Christ for abundant life.

A REASON TO SING AND A MESSAGE TO GIVE

Calvin viewed music as a gift of God and
encouraged congregational Psalm singing, even putting to music a number
of the Psalms himself. Calvin was an evangelist who worked diligently to
bring the lost to repentance and faith in Christ.

A WORLD TO WIN

Calvin’s vision is attested to by the fact that
during his ministry over 2 000 Reformed churches were established in
France alone – with half a million church members in congregations lead
by pastors and evangelists he had trained and sent out. Calvin sent
missionaries throughout Europe and even as far afield as Brazil.

In his Institutes, Calvin wrote of “the magnificence” of Christ’s reign prophesied in Daniel 2:32-35; Isaiah 11:4; Psalm 2:9 and Psalm 72 where Christ will rule the earth. “Our
doctrine must tower unvanquished above the glory and above all the
might of the world, for it is not of us, but of the Living God and His
Christ” Who will “rule from sea to sea and from the river even to the ends of the earth.”

HAVE YOU READ CALVIN?

If you have never read Calvin’s
Institutes or benefited from his commentaries, perhaps this would be a
good time to invest the time in studying these treasures.

A CALL TO SUFFER AND SERVE – CHANGING CULTURES FOR CHRIST

Calvin’s concept of the Christian life as a
militant pilgrimage leading safely home by a predestined path of service
and suffering – as we fulfill our cultural calling – has produced some
of the most humble, hard-working heroes of the Faith. Has your mind been
renewed by the Word of God? Is your heart aflame with devotion to
Christ? And are you applying the Lordship of Christ to all areas of
life, promptly and sincerely in the service of God?